Seth MacFarlane pays tribute to creator of 'The Simpsons'

Seth MacFarlane recently sent out a heartwarming tweet in memory of Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon, who died at his home Sunday evening after a battle with colon cancer.

Seth MacFarlane, who has created and starred in many TV shows and movies including Family Guy and American Dad, paid tribute to Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon, who recently passed away. On Monday evening, MacFarlane sent out a tweet that read, "Had the mind of Sam Simon not paved the way for all of us in primetime animation, I wouldn't have a job. He will be sorely missed."

MacFarlane has had a playful rivalry with The Simpsons over the years. Family Guy has taken several jabs at the show in the past and The Simpsons has even fired back on occasion. On the second episode Family Guy's eleventh season, the writers poked fun (as they have on several ocassions) at the fact that The Simpsons has been on the air for a long time. In the episode, main character Peter Griffin had destroyed television after stealing a number of Nielsen boxes. As Peter was talking to TV executives about the problem, in walked Homer Simpson, who was distraught about the fact that he had destroyed television. Peter then joked that this was finally a story that Family Guy had done first, saying, "Haha! Looks like this is one we beat you to!"

In addition to several other back and forth jabs between the two shows, there was actually a crossover episode just last year. In the Family Guy episode titled "Simpsons Guy," the family traveled to the fictional town of Springfield, where they met up with many of the characters from The Simpsons. Despite the jabs, however, MacFarlane has stated that the rivalry is all in good fun. He has even mentioned that the rivalry between Family Guy and The Simpsons is nothing like the one between Family Guy and South Park, as creators of that show seem to have a true hatred for him. MacFarlane has also stated that the Simpsons was one of his major influences.